Hafez Ahmadullah
Hafez Ahmadullah was a Bangladeshi Islamic scholar and educator, who served as the chairman of Anjuman-e-Ittihadul Madaris Bangladesh from 16 December 2023, a state-recognized Qawmi madrasa board, until his death. On 15 February 2024, he was appointed president of Al Jamia Al Islamia Patiya, where he also served as head mufti. He was widely referred to as 'Faqīh al-Din', a title ascribed to him in recognition of decades of scholarship in Islamic jurisprudence, having received formal instruction from Muhammad Shafi, Pakistan's former Grand Mufti.
He had a foundational role in establishing the Islamic Fiqh Board Bangladesh on 17 May 2017, inspired by its Indian counterpart. In addition to his expertise in fiqh, he was also engaged in hadith scholarship and taught as Sheikh al-Hadith at both Al Jamia Al Islamia Patiya and Al-Jameatul Arabiatul Islamia Ziri. Spiritually, he was associated with the tradition of Ashraf Ali Thanwi through his succession from Muhammadullah Hafezzi, a direct disciple of Thanwi. He also held the position of vice-president in Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh.
Early life and education
Ahmadullah was born on 12 May 1941, in Naikhain village, Patiya Upazila, Chittagong District, Bengal Province, British India, to Muhammad Isa, with his maternal grandfather being Shah Ahmad Hasan. He began his Quranic studies under his father's guidance at the age of seven. In 1948, he enrolled at Al-Jameatul Arabiatul Islamia Ziri and completed his Quran memorization in 1951. At 21, in 1963, he graduated with a Master's in Hadith from Al-Jameatul Arabiatul Islamia Ziri. Seeking further education, he traveled to Pakistan, where he studied at Jamia Ashrafia in Lahore, revisiting Hadith texts under scholars such as Idris Kandhlawi and Rasul Khan Hazarwi. He later moved to Multan to study at Jamia Khairul Madaris, under Muhammad Sharif Kashmiri, before continuing his advanced studies at Darul Uloom Karachi, where he specialized in fatwas under Muhammad Shafi. In the spiritual domain, he initially received Bai'ah from Muhammad Shafi in Karachi. In 1979, during Ramadan, he took Bai'ah from Muhammadullah Hafezzi, and two years later, he received spiritual succession from him.Career
Ahmadullah returned to Bangladesh in 1968 and began teaching at Al-Jameatul Arabiatul Islamia Ziri, where he taught nearly every subject of Dars-i Nizami for 23 years. Towards the end of this period, he was promoted to Sheikh al-Hadith. In 1991, at the request of Muhammad Yunus, he joined Al Jamia Al Islamia Patiya, where he served as the head Mufti and Sheikh al-Hadith, and where more than 20,000 students studied Sahih al-Bukhari under his instruction. In 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on congregational prayers in many countries, he issued a fatwa stating that, given the situation in Bangladesh, there was no need for a different ruling on Friday prayers and congregational prayers. He also issued fatwas regarding the human body, declaring that it is a trust from Allah, and thus suicide, organ donation, and the buying or selling of organs are prohibited in Islam.He chaired the 3rd seminar of the Islamic Fiqh Board of Bangladesh on 11 February 2020, with Nematullah Azami as the chief guest. The board was established in 2017, with Ahmadullah as its main patron. On 4 November 2019, he became the vice-president of Anjuman-e-Ittihadul Madaris Bangladesh. After the death of Abdul Halim Bukhari and the ensuing internal conflict within the board, he was elected chairman of one faction of the board in an emergency meeting on 16 December 2023. The other faction is led by Sultan Zauq Nadwi. On 15 February 2024, following an emergency session of the Shura Council, Ahmadullah was elected president of Al Jamia Al Islamia Patiya. In addition to these roles, he was elected vice-president of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh on 15 November 2020, and served as the chief advisor to the Bangladesh Tahfizul Quran Organization. In his professional life, he was known as 'Hafiz Saheb Hujur.' He was the father of three sons and four daughters.